Phone Confiscated in Primary School

shipibo

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My friends son had his mobile phone confiscated in school, he was in hte toilets , and the phone was swiched off.

His parents spoke to Headmaster, and explained ,as they both work on shift, he needs the phone to contact them/grandmother if he gets into trouble.

Headmaster stated this changes nothing, and they can have phone back in Month !!!! , she suggested they buy another phone for him !!!!!

Garda Liaison Officer said this was stupid, and if they wished, he would go to school to get phone back.

Just wondering, should he get legal advice on this, and if garda gets Phone , will Head Teacher get the hump and suspend / expel the son.
 
Ill probably be slated for this but we didnt have mobiles when we were in school and we got by. I think that if the school has a rule its important for the parents to respect that. good training for the kids too. its always good to have a good relationship with school authourities.
 
Your child will have to learn to respect authority and to observe more and more rules (whether correct or incorrect, just or unjust) as they get older. Going to the Guards or to legal advisors every time someone crosses them is hardly a good approach to equip them to deal with life as an adult.
 
His parents spoke to Headmaster, and explained ,as they both work on shift, he needs the phone to contact them/grandmother if he gets into trouble.

Come on! He isnt the only child with parents working shift work. If the child gets "into trouble" as you put it, the school will contact his parents/grandmother.
There is no excuse for a mobilephone to be in school
 
I presume the OP's concern is that the child doesn't now have a phone at all (for a month) so if he gets into trouble outside school he has no means of calling parents etc.

Crumbdub, why did they confiscate it if it was turned off? Are you sure this was so?
 
I think it depends on whether there was a clearly stated policy of the school already in existance as regards mobile phones or not. If there was not, then its unjust, if there was, then the principal is right. Although having said that I do feel that the school should, if possible, have a place where students could deposit their mobile entering the school and take it out again with them when leaving because presumably the phone is for outside the school anyway.
 
Does the school have any right to withold the phone from the child's parents?
 
I know in some schools you have to pay to get your phone back, like 5euro in one school I know.
1 month is unfair, I would go back to the school and explain that you understand it was wrong for the child to have the phone blah blah blah, but as his parents responsibilty when they are outside the school, you would not be comfortable with the child not having a phone for a month.
 
I think the issue is the phone is being withheld for 1 month .... , only Gardai can confiscate and hold onto things in the medium term.

I agree in principle to no mobiles in school, but a bit of flexibility , and return of someones property are real issues.


They have spoken to everyone on school side, and given " We Understand, but", and were told to buy a new phone if it was that much of a problem.

The phone was off (Principle stated this), it is for outside school (they live in a rough area of Tallaght).

And yes the world has gone mad , where a school believe it has the right to illegally hold onto someones property.
 
did he have the phone out of his bag? if so, why?

surely the world has gone mad when parents are talking about seeking legal action where a child breaks rules and they are not willing for him to face the consequences.

as other posters have pointed, nice life lesson for the child to learn - break the rules then threaten legal action if caught.
 
I think it depends on whether there was a clearly stated policy of the school already in existance as regards mobile phones or not. If there was not, then its unjust, if there was, then the principal is right.

Totally agree with this - I know it's clearly stated in the rules at the primary school our lads attend that no mobile phones are to be brought to school and if kids are caught with one it's confiscated until the end of the school year in June.
 
RMelly,


Read the mail, he was in the toilets, if he left it in his bag it would be stolen.

Why should school hold onto this phone ??? , and when you have exhausted every rational route, what else do you do ??


As for your smart comment about life lessons, If you feel you are in the right, you should fight your corner.
 
Demoivre,


If kids are using phone in school time, I would understand, but taking your personal property for a school term .....


If this happened in the workplace, there would be murder.
 
RMelly,


Read the mail, he was in the toilets, if he left it in his bag it would be stolen.

Why should school hold onto this phone ??? , and when you have exhausted every rational route, what else do you do ??


As for your smart comment about life lessons, If you feel you are in the right, you should fight your corner.

I am aware he was in the toilet, but doesn't mean he had to have the phone in his hand - could he not put in his pocket? His having the phone in the toilet raises issues about students privacy if it was a camera phone...even though it was 'allegedly' off.

Can you confirm whether this policy of confiscation is a school rule that all parents & students are made aware of, as this is the crux of the matter.

As per my 'smart comment', I would be the first to admit that I ignore rules sometimes but if caught I accept responsibility, I don't threaten them with my solicitor. We have gotten to a ridiculous PC bu****it state where students can run riot over teachers but can't be expelled etc. because the parents take legal action to have the students returned to school.
 
Demoivre,


If kids are using phone in school time, I would understand, but taking your personal property for a school term .....

Yeah but the point is if that's one of the rules of the school then there's not a lot he can do about it. On the other hand if there is no stated policy re. mobiles then it's a different matter but imo far to trivial a matter to involve guards, solicitors etc.
 
What is cheaper? Engaging the legal profession or another phone.
 
If it were my child I'd go up and commend the Principal. No child should have any need for a Mobile phone in the confines of a shool property. If the child cannot keep his phone off and in his/her school bag for fear of it being stolen then I'd find a new school. Teachers have enough work cut out teaching in today's society without the distraction of mobile phones. Merely having it in his hand is good enough for me to warrant a breach of the rules. If you feel so strongly why not just get another for €29 rather than resorting to the Guards, Laywers etc. The message you send out to challenge the School Authority is infinitely more damaging than forking out another €29. Why dont the Parents take responsiblity for not informing their child about the nuscience and distraction mobile phones cause to teaching staff. Next thing we'll hear is a claim for compo for psychological damage suffered by little Johnny from being without his phone for a month. There's absolutely no sympathy from this corner.
 
RMelly,

This is,nt an issue of PC , its an issue of property retention, and the fact he is even talking about legal advice shows the level of frustration he feels after dealing with the school.

Your point of a phone in the toilet is a good one, but this boy has no previous disiplinary issues, and is not the type.


Dem, PJ,

Would new phone be cheaper, yes .. but it is the principle of the matter,


Fatman,


No one is looking for sympathy, and phones can be confiscated, but the fact of keeping for a month ........

As for phone / MP3 / computer theft in school , it happens everywhere, if you were to move school for this , you would never stop.
 
"property retention", by which I presume you mean confiscation, is nothing new in schools. The best part of 25 years ago I remember having a copy of "Smash Hits" confiscated because I was caught trying to read it during class. I wouldn't have dared tell my parents about the incident, let alone had them consult Gardai & solicitors on my behalf, because I knew they would have taken a dim view of my stupidity rather than trying to undermine the teacher's authority.
 
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